Pension Santa Elena

Amazing hotel in beautiful town. Delicious breakfast. Convenient parking

My recent stay at Pension Santa Elena was deeply disappointing, warranting a dismal 1 out of 5 stars. The rooms were shockingly dirty, with noticeable dust accumulation and overall neglect in cleanliness. It was clear that thorough cleaning and maintenance were sorely lacking, contributing to an uncomfortable and unpleasant environment. The staff's demeanor further compounded the negative experience. They were consistently rude and unresponsive to basic requests, displaying a lack of professionalism and courtesy that fell well short of acceptable standards. Their dismissive attitude towards guests' concerns only exacerbated the already poor impression left by the accommodations. Adding to the discomfort, there were significant issues with the facilities themselves. Several rooms had inadequate lighting, making it difficult to navigate, and some lacked functioning air conditioning, exacerbating an already uncomfortable stay. These shortcomings highlight a severe lack of attention to guest comfort and basic amenities, further detracting from any potential positive aspects of the stay. In conclusion, my experience at Pension Santa Elena was marred by dirty rooms, rude staff, and insufficient facilities. It is clear that significant improvements are needed in cleanliness, customer service, and basic amenities to provide a satisfactory stay for guests in the future.

"Our family booked three rooms for our stay, and unfortunately, our experience fell short of expectations. The second-floor room had the best layout, complete with handrails, which provided a sense of safety and convenience. However, the first-floor rooms were quite disappointing. Each room accommodated four beds, including a bunk bed, a regular bed, and an additional mattress placed atop the restroom area. The upper bunk bed felt precarious with no handrails, making it uncomfortable for anyone to sleep there. Furthermore, cleanliness was a significant issue throughout our stay. Stains marred the room's surfaces, and dishes were left unwashed, detracting from the overall experience. Additionally, the lack of air conditioning made the rooms uncomfortably warm, especially during the night. Regrettably, the quality of the food served on-site did not meet our expectations either, prompting us to seek dining options elsewhere. Thankfully, a nearby restaurant provided a more satisfying dining experience. In summary, while the layout of the second-floor room was commendable, the overall condition of the accommodations, coupled with subpar cleanliness and food quality, left much to be desired. We hope these aspects can be addressed to improve the experience for future guests."

It's located in the center of town making it a very convenient place to explore from. The staff, which included Dayana and John, were very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful, arranging a variety of quality tours for me. Free breakfasts were another nice benefit.

What seemed like was going to be a great place to stay in Monteverde ended up being the worst part of my trip to Costa Rica. I did a lot of research before booking and even emailed the staff prior and there was someone by the name of Ran who was incredibly helpful and made me feel like booking with Pension would definitely be worth it so I booked. About a couple of weeks before my trip, I reached out again to confirm transportation arrangements with Ran who was looking into it for me and I never received a response. I reached out again a week later and received a general response from the hostel stating that Interbus was recommended. This was clearly not the individual I was in communication with and it was a red flag I unfortunately ignored. I ended up doing my own research for transportation and we finally arrive to the hostel. Upon arrival, I was greeted with the new owner who we come to find has only been in Monteverde for 3 months and seemed overwhelmed. She was complaining about how she had to take on so many roles now that she is the owner and honestly it was way more information than needed. She was unable to provide any helpful information like what's the best way to get back to the airport, good place to eat, etc. It also then made sense why Ran (previous owner) never emailed me back. It all just left a really sour taste in my mouth. Whatever. Moving on to the room, basic hostel room with no closet space, just a few shelves and noisy neighbors. I did not attempt the shower and the overall vibe of the place felt depressing with the awful lighting (felt like a prison cell). The complimentary breakfast saved us money but that was also a weird experience having to go next door to ask for it and the staff wasn't the most friendly. Then on the night before our departure, we went to reception to ask for a later checkout (as instructed on the hotel brochure in the room) and spoke with the owner who checked us in. Our bus out of Monteverde was at 2:00pm and she said we could stay in the room until 12:00pm at the latest. We thought finally this is the one positive experience and we figured we could walk around or go get a coffee somewhere for 2 hours, no problem. What a joke. At 10:40am the next morning as we were getting dressed, someone is knocking hard on our room door. After getting some clothes on, I answered and its one of the other receptionists stating that checkout was at 10:00am. I advised that the owner gave us the okay last night to stay in the room until 12:00pm. She immediately said, "No, we have someone checking into this room and you have to check out." There was no apology for the miscommunication, no form of recovery or compromise- just a flat out no. I work in hospitality and I understand this is a hostel but wow. I wish we would have just gave our money to literally any other local hostel. The experience we had prior to arriving to Pension to the moment we got there and finally checked out, was black and white. What an upset a